Gifts
by Rurouni Star
Summary: [MK][oneshot] The holidays are a time for giving even if your recipients don't celebrate them.


Another M/K oneshot, not going to get longer. Obviously, it's for Christmas.

Dedicated to San – sorry I didn't write that hentai, but I'm hoping this will work. ^^

**Gifts**

**By Rurouni Star**

_"It is well to give when asked but it is better to give unasked, through understanding."_

**-Kahlil Gibran**

            She came out of the well with very little luggage this time – her bag looked almost desolate, deflated to a mere fraction of its usual girth. Kagome hooked a leg over the edge of the well, a content smile on her face as she surveyed the white landscape. Snow had fallen during the night she had been away, dusting the world with a bright silvery sheen.

            Kagome didn't expect Inuyasha to meet her; her visit was supposed to be a surprise. But he was usually there anyway, demanding that they go shard hunting again immediately… her face took on a curious expression as she tromped through the formerly pristine snow, punching ugly holes in it with her boots. Soon, she was on the same cliff as usual, overlooking the place she had secretly missed during Christmas Eve.

            The white-roofed huts became clearer as she drew nearer to them, whereas before they had been tiny dots. Kagome began to pick up speed as she went down the steep hill, a rapturous look on her rosy face as she enjoyed the crisp winter air.

            She missed seeing the snowdrift until it was just in front of her - and by then, of course, it was too late. Kagome plowed headlong into the mass of snow, spattering the nearby trees with tiny flakes. The girl floundered for a moment before righting herself, her clothes beneath her jacket soaked through. But nothing could ruin Christmas, as she proved by happily walking to Kaede's hut.

            Her head cocked to the side in confusion as she saw a single figure on the porch, drinking tea and watching the sky.

            "…Miroku-sama?" Kagome asked, bewildered.

            The monk blinked, then turned his gaze to her. "Oh. You're back early, Kagome-sama," he noted. As she came closer and he caught sight of her wet and bedraggled state, the priest shook his head in amusement. "I was going to offer you some tea, but perhaps you should change first."

            Kagome gave him a flat look. "Only if you promise not to peek," she warned, even as she shivered from a breeze that teased below her now-useless coat. 

Miroku waved a hand airily, drawing attention to the fact that his other arm was hanging outside of his robes, firmly buckled to his side by a sling. Kagome remembered him complaining of a problem with his left arm after a battle, just before she'd left. "What? Poor little me, when I can barely move one of my arms?" 

"Is it broken?" she asked, her tone taking a turn for the concerned. 

He smiled. "Yes, but it should heal in very little time. I'm good about those kinds of things."

Kagome snorted. "Yeah, well, I've never seen an injury keep you from doing what you wanted before. So if you go looking in, injured or not, I'll have to hurt you."

He shrugged and took another sip of his tea. "Fair deal."

The girl eyed him suspiciously for a moment before pushing aside the reeds of the door and walking inside. Immediately, she opened her backpack, rummaging through it for extra clothes… and giving a frustrated sigh. She'd only been intending to come with presents for everyone; she hadn't been intending on having to change.

_Oh well_, she thought to herself. _I still have my summer change of clothes somewhere in here…_

Kagome almost moved for the cabinet in the back before remembering that she had moved her spare clothes to beneath the futons. The girl pulled open the cabinet and slipped her cold hands beneath the stack, pulling it out. Where the futons had been now lay only a small plastic bag, a tank top and skirt inside. She frowned, but (after taking one last paranoid look at the door) peeled off her wet clothes. There was a moment of shivering in the cold room, but she hurriedly pulled on her new set of clothes and padded out to the porch, barefoot.

Miroku was still sitting there innocently, drinking his tea. Kagome calmed the immediate accusations in her head and sat down beside him, spreading her skirt to cover her bare legs from the frigid air. She noticed gratefully that he had already poured her a cup of her own, and warmed her hands on the ceramic before taking a swallow. The hot liquid traveled down her throat to become a pleasant warmth in her stomach, warming her from the inside out.

"So," she started, "where's everyone else?"

Miroku finished his cup lazily and began to pour himself another. "Well there's always quite a bit to do after it snows; I imagine Kaede will be helping to warm people up and keep children healthy, or other such things."

Kagome raised an eyebrow. "I meant _everyone_ else. Where's Inuyasha?" A pause. "And Sango and Shippo," she added quickly.

"Gone to check on jewel shards, naturally," was the response. "We didn't think you'd be coming back until much later." At her unspoken question, Miroku pointed to his arm. "They didn't want me to strain it while it was healing."

The girl sighed mournfully. "Well, darn. I came with everyone's presents – I was really looking forward to Shippo's reaction to all the pocky." 

Miroku raised an eyebrow. "Presents? For what?"

The girl blushed. "Um… Christmas. I guess you guys don't celebrate it yet… but it's a holiday during the winter. You're supposed to exchange gifts during Christmas, and be with your family and all… so I brought everyone something, even though you guys don't celebrate it. Just… just because it wouldn't feel right, otherwise."

The monk's face took on an amused look. "So we're your family?"

Kagome's blush deepened. "Well… aren't you?"

He seemed to consider this for a moment. "I suppose we are, at that. I never really thought about it that way."

She shivered a little as the remaining water on her skin gave her goose bumps. There was a short silence. Then: "Well, I don't see why I can't give you yours now. While… while I have it with me, I mean…" She stood, her toes curled beneath her feet as she walked over the icy floor on tiptoe. The girl disappeared into the hut, the monk staring after her with interest.

"Okay," she called from inside. "Um, I couldn't think of what to give you for a long time, so I didn't have time to wrap it… could you maybe close your eyes?"

Miroku chuckled. "Of course, Kagome-sama. Just try not to have your way with me while I'm vulnerable." He knew she was trying to keep him from knowing that he had set her laughing, so he leant back against the wall quickly, his eyes closed. "Ready," he confirmed, a smile tugging at his lips.

He heard her soft footfalls beside him, and imagined her cloudy breath and flushed cheeks. It was hard not to move as Kagome knelt down beside him and placed something in his lap – he realized that he had been telling the truth in that it made him feel vulnerable.

"Okay," she said in a shy voice. "You can open your eyes now."

Miroku relaxed his eyelids, letting them open as they wanted to. He stared at the thing in his lap.

"Um… well… you know how I had Shippo using that camera a while back? It captures moments so you can look at them later." Her tone turned apologetic as she went on: "It was really the best one he took… I'm afraid the others didn't really turn out well…"

Miroku shook his head. "No," he said with a reminiscent smile. "No, it's perfect."

_"So you want me to pose for this thing?" Inuyasha asked acidly._

_Kagome nodded brightly. "Just… just whatever you feel like."_

_"Feh.__ I'm not getting involved with any of your weird devices anymore. You remember what happened with the 'toothbrush'?"_

_The girl winced and nodded. "Okay, um, I guess you can sit this one out. But I want a decent picture of you at some point."_

_The hanyou gave no answer, but a soft snort from him let her know that he would indeed let her take a picture later… when his pride was not on the line._

_"But who can I take a picture of then?" Shippo wailed, finally having gotten the use of the strange camera machine and certainly not ready to stop now that he had it. _

_Kagome frowned. "Whatever you want today, I guess. But use the pictures well – there's only so many on that thing." _

_Shippo perked up again almost immediately. "Okay! I'll get some really good pictures, then!" But Kagome had stopped paying attention to him as Sango let out an angry yell from the other side of the clearing._

_"SUKEBE!"___

_"I swear I didn't mean to this time __(well, okay, maybe I did, a little) but I did not enjoy it at all!"_

_A resounding slap and furious muttering ensued as the demon hunter stalked across the clearing, her face bright red. Miroku rubbed at the red handprint on his cheek with a wince. "How could she tell I was lying?" he asked no one in particular._

_Kagome sighed. "Miroku-sama…" she murmured hopelessly. "You are incorrigible."_

_He smiled. "If that isn't something to be proud of, though, I don't know what is." The monk was suddenly next to her, his arm around her neck familiarly. "And since I am already deemed irredeemable," he said with a wink. "I may as well take advantage of it…"_

_Kagome blinked, a feeling of foreboding shooting through her…_

_Click._

_"Hey! I got one!"_

_The two froze. "Ah! Wh-what did you get, Shippo?" squeaked Kagome, slipping from Miroku's arm. "Which part?"_

_Miroku watched her with a chuckle; he shook his head and walked away._

The picture had turned out well, he had to admit. Even if it was a somewhat embarrassing shot (for her).

A bright red Kagome was looking up at him, his arm around her shoulder and a sly smile on his face. It did remind him of a kind of family… even if they were a somewhat dysfunctional family, most of the time.

He felt her shiver again next to him and put the picture down gently. 

"I think I'll go get a blanket from one of the futons," she murmured. "It's colder out here than I thought it would be…"

Something warm slipped around her shoulders. Kagome blinked and looked up.

Miroku's face bore a warm look. "I wasn't really using it anyway," he said. She flushed and drew the robes closer around herself, his lingering heat suffusing her and disintegrating instantly the slightly numb feeling in her skin.

"So," the monk continued, a strange expression on his face; one that she could swear she'd seen before. "You said it's customary to _exchange_ presents?"

Kagome, slightly bewildered, nodded. "But I don't expect anyone to-"

She recognized the expression too late. It was the one in the photo; the one he had worn just before… something he had never gotten to do.

The monk leaned down, his good arm slipping behind her back and pulling her upward toward him. Kagome squeaked in surprise, but was abruptly cut off as he pressed his heated lips gently to her slightly cold ones. The contact warmed her much more than any clothing had, his dark hair teasing at her face.

She melted.

A recklessness overcame her of a sudden, and Kagome looped her arm around his neck loosely, inviting him closer. The monk, of course, obliged her, nearly pulling her to his lap. For that moment, the easygoing friendship changed to something potentially much greater…

 The kiss lasted only slightly longer than it should have. It wasn't enough, of course, but neither was going to admit it. By the time Miroku pulled away, Kagome had closed her eyes, a tiny smile on her mouth. 

She opened them when he let her go, an incredulous laugh escaping her. "I didn't have time to wrap it," he explained, grinning.

Kagome pulled the robe around herself again, then threaded her fingers together happily, leaning into his shoulder. 

"It's perfect."


End file.
